The 185th Air Refueling Wing
Turbulence shakes the heavy aircraft, but it’s clear skies outside the window. It’s cold in the air, but it’s welcome after waiting without air conditioning for liftoff.
To extend the boom, a pole-like metal arm, the operator lays on their stomach on a blue mattress-like pad with their arms hanging. From there they move the controller, claw-machine style, to attach the boom to the military aircraft in front of them.
This is the average day for a boom operator at the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing.
The 185th serves primarily as a force extension element, to extend the reach of the military with mid-air refueling. The unit's KC-135 Stratotankers serve as flying gas stations, providing fuel to military aircraft in mid-air.
"We are a refueling mission," said Staff Sgt. and boom operator Meleah Johnson. "How I describe it to people is how colleges are specialized in different things -- like, UNI (University of Northern Iowa), we focus on teaching and business, and Iowa is medical. So, each base has its own thing. Some are fighter wings, some are cybersecurity. So we are a refueling wing, that is our main mission."
The small but mighty team, which includes 20 boom operators and 52 pilots, has formed a tighter knit group compared to the average active duty base.
"Everybody kind of knows each other and is super friendly with each other," said Capt. Tyler Johnson. "And if we don’t know them, we’ll meet them sooner or later."
His comments came as the 185th took local journalists on a flight June 11, 2024. From Sioux City, the KC-135 traveled south through southwest Iowa and into northeast Missouri. Around the Kansas City area, the tanker refueled six A-10 Thunderbolts IIs from nearby Whiteman Air Force Base, offloading over 5,000 pounds of fuel to each one.
Published with The Sioux City Journal.
